


devil's backbone

by aseroxyc



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Angst, Arranged Marriage, Bang Chan is a Sweetheart, First Kiss, Fluff, Forbidden Love, Guard!Felix, Hwang Hyunjin & Lee Minho | Lee Know are Best Friends, Hwang Hyunjin is Whipped, Kim Seungmin is a Good Friend, Love Confessions, M/M, Mild Language, Minor Violence, Running Away, Tickle Fights, Unrequited Love, Yang Jeongin | I.N is Whipped, channie is in love with innie, every relationship in this fic is forbidden yay, everyone loves jeongin basically, guard!chan, guard!woojin, it's for seungin, jeongin's mother is an asshole, prince!jeongin, prince!seungmin, these tags are a mess, thief!changbin, thief!hyunjin, thief!jisung, thief!minho
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-07-16
Packaged: 2021-03-04 21:02:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25322833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/aseroxyc/pseuds/aseroxyc
Summary: "come with me." hyunjin breathes out, his eyes full of longing and desperation as he looks at jeongin. the prince returns his gaze with nothing but sorrow. for the first time in his life, his heart is split in two. one half is pulling him towards his family and future, while the other is fighting like no tomorrow to be with hyunjin.orthe crown prince, yang jeongin of the eastern kingdom falls in love with a thief named hwang hyunjin.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Bang Chan/Yang Jeongin | I.N, Hwang Hyunjin/Yang Jeongin | I.N, Kim Seungmin/Lee Felix, Kim Seungmin/Yang Jeongin | I.N
Comments: 2
Kudos: 26





	devil's backbone

**Author's Note:**

> Hi angels~ I'm now starting another fic, since I am finally done with The Stars In Your Eyes. This was the most voted one, and again, I want to thank my readers for taking the time to read, comment and vote on my stories, you guys are amazing <3 This fic was inspired by a song called Devil's Backbone by The Civil Wars.

_oh lord oh lord, what have i done?_

_i've fallen in love with a man on the run_

_oh lord oh lord, i'm begging you please_

_don't take that sinner from me_

_oh, don't take that sinner from me_

jeongin crosses his arms as he gazes down from the balcony, a cold breeze washing over him and making him shiver. the garden beneath him is quiet and the trees and flowers have started dying. seungmin is with him, leaning against the railing. the air is filled with doubt and some sort of fear coming from the two boys. 

"you think we can do it?" seungmin whispers, breaking the silence, and jeongin sighs. he leans against seungmin, his best friend of 12 years. seungmin lifts his other hand in return, letting it find jeongin's hair. "i don't know," the younger of the two mumbles, "you?"

seungmin hums, a silence falling between them once again. "you're my best friend, jeongin. i prefer you over someone i don't know at all. and do we really have a choice? you know our parents won't give up," he says, and jeongin shakes his head slightly. "i guess you're right."

"so we're doing this? are you sure?" seungmin pulls away, his eyes filled with concern as he gazes down at jeongin, a frown taking over his gentle features. jeongin looks at him with hesitation washing over him. he loves seungmin, he couldn't ask for a better friend. but does he want to marry his best friend? he doesn't want to ruin their friendship with an arranged marriage.

but as he said before, they don't have a choice. jeongin's mother, the queen of the eastern kingdom, and seungmin's parents, the king and queen of the southern kingdom, wanted to unite their kingdoms for good. it wasn't like they had been in a war before the final agreement, not at all. the rulers have been close for years, and apparently they had planned to arrange a marriage for their oldest children for years and officially make the two kingdoms become one, unfortunately for seungmin and jeongin.

jeongin took a deep breath and nodded, tightening his grip on seungmin's shirt as he hid his face in his best friend's shoulder. "yes. i'm sure."

seungmin sighs in response, the taller placing a gentle kiss on the crown of jeongin's head. it's comforting, and he breaks a small smile. 

"prince jeongin, prince seungmin!"

they pull away to see the head guard at the balcony door, bowing at the two princes. "i'm sorry, your majesties, but the queen wants to see you, she's in the dungeon," he speaks with a soft voice, looking shyly up at them, eyes shining with respect. jeongin smiles at him, walking over to him and gently brushing his arm. "got it. thank you, woojin. you may go now. have the rest of the day off."

woojin stands up straight. "thank you, your majesty, but-"

"no, it's okay. my mother won't find out," jeongin smiles and woojin stares at him with wide eyes twinkling with gratitude before bowing and hurrying away, scared the prince will change his mind, muttering out a thanks. seungmin laughs and he walks over to jeongin. "you know, your mother will find out if you keep giving the guards days off."

"the guards deserve it, my mother treats them like dirt on the bottom of her shoes. they're the reason someone hasn't snuck into the castle and murdered us," jeongin mumbles as he heads back to his room and into the hallway, seungmin following him without a word.

"jeongin. seungmin," the queen says with a tight smile as jeongin and seungmin walk down the stairs, entering the dungeon.

"what is it, mother?" jeongin asks and seungmin gives the queen a small, polite smile. she glances at both of them before making her way deeper into the dungeons. jeongin and seungmin follow her, their eyes glued to the ground, trying their best to ignore the cries of the prisoners.

they stop in front of a small cell, away from all of the other ones. jeongin swallows, this is the one where his mother keeps the ones sentenced to death. in the cell, there is a man tied up, and his head is covered with an old bag made out of canvas. the man doesn't move, he just slightly flinches every once in a while. a guard, chan, is leaning against the cell with his arms crossed as he smiles at seungmin and jeongin, nodding at the queen. another guard, felix, is standing next to the prisoner.

"you may go, chan. get back to your post," she says and the guard nods, walking past them.

the queen looks at the tied up man before turning her back at him. "this man stole food from the bakery and threatened the baker. probably would have killed him if chan and felix hadn't caught him and brought him here."

jeongin nods in return, slightly confused. he doesn't understand why his mother is telling them this, and seungmin seems just as confused.

the queen crosses her arms. "you two are going to be the kings of this kingdom in a year. i need to know you two know how to handle prisoners," she says coldly, and jeongin and seungmin both flinch. the queen nods at felix and the guard pulls the bag off the man's head, revealing the prisoner's face. the man hisses at felix before glaring at the queen. his face is almost completely covered by his blonde, messy, overgrown locks. "bitch," he spits at the queen, his voice dripping with venom.

jeongin glances at his mother to see her grit her teeth, controlled rage in her eyes. she nods at felix, and the guard immediately throws a punch to the man's jaw, making him fall on his side to the dirty ground and groan in pain, eyes shut tightly. jeongin closes his eyes and bites his lip in disgust.

they are quiet for a moment before seungmin clears his throat.

"w-well... he stole, threatened and also is a general threat to other people's lives so... hang him?" he mumbles, and the queen nods in approval. the man is quiet, but jeongin can almost feel the anger radiating off his body.

"how about you, jeongin?" his mother asks, and jeongin flinches again, eyes widening.

he turns his head to look at the man, and the man does exactly the same to him.

the prisoner slightly shakes his head, finally letting his hair move away from his face and reveal his eyes. and that is the moment when jeongin feels a pang somewhere in his chest, when their eyes meet. the man is looking at him with an unreadable expression. blood is dripping from the cut on his lip and his whole body is bruised. jeongin can just stare and open his mouth slightly. "i-" he stutters and feels a shiver run down his spine when the prisoner doesn't look away, his dark orbs still focused on jeongin.

what is this feeling? suddenly he feels exposed under the man's gaze, like he is looking straight into jeongin's soul, digging out his deepest, darkest secrets. and something in those eyes makes jeongin want to save him, to do anything he can to keep the man away from being executed.

"he shouldn't be killed," jeongin blurts out clumsily, surprising everyone, including the prisoner and himself.

"really? how come?" the queen asks, lifting an eyebrow at her son. jeongin swallows. "well, he didn't kill anyone, did he? i mean... i just don't think it's necessary to kill him if he didn't kill anyone either, couldn't he just be here as a prisoner?" he stammers, finally looking away from the prisoner's burning eyes, and the queen stares at him before nodding. "well, maybe you're right. felix, untie him and lock the cell, let him rot in here for what he did."

felix nods and cuts the ropes around the man's wrists and ankles, and the man hisses, rubbing his wrists and glaring at the guard again. but he doesn't try to attack felix, nor does he try to run away, which he definitely could do. the cell door is still open.

the man just mutters something under his breath and watches as felix walks out and locks the cell door, and jeongin takes his time to take in the man's face. the anger from earlier has melted away into confusion. jeongin watches in curiosity, his eyes flickering towards felix and trying to figure out the reason for the confused look on the prisoner's face.

"jeongin, seungmin. i'm going to the throne room. you two should get some rest, seungmin's parents are coming here early," the queen explains, turning her back to the cells and walking away. jeongin doesn't hear her, too fascinated by the prisoner to notice the queen, seungmin and felix all walk away, and none of them notice jeongin staying behind either.

a silence falls into the dungeon, the only sound being an occasional groan of pain or an irritated growl from the other prisoners on the other side of the dungeon.

it is when the prisoner's curious eyes find jeongin's own when the prince finally notices what is happening around him. his eyes widen and he spins around to notice all three already walking away. he hears the prisoner snort behind him, and he feels his cheeks heat up with embarrassment. he huffs, not sparing the prisoner another glance as he hurries after the others, feeling a pair of eyes staring at him.

♚

"this is wonderful!" seungmin's father exclaims with a wide smile, reflecting the looks on his wife's and jeongin's mother's faces. jeongin and seungmin are less enthusiastic, but the king and the two queens can't see through the awkward fake smiles on the two boys' faces. "so you two are engaged now! finally our kingdoms will be united!"

"we need to start planning the wedding already," jeongin's mother says and the other queen nods along. "how about you and jeongin come to our castle next weekend and we'll begin?" she suggests and all three rulers nod, and seungmin and jeongin just watch.

jeongin's head hurts, and he barely slept last night.

all because of that prisoner and his curious eyes, and the way he looked at jeongin.

he couldn't stop thinking about him all night. the man's eyes are almost literally burned into his mind. the young prince exhales heavily, making seungmin lean closer to him in a second, a worried frown on his face again. jeongin wishes seungmin smiled more; he is always worrying.

"are you okay?" seungmin whispers to him and jeongin nods, giving him a faint smile. "yeah. my head just hurts a little since i couldn't sleep much," he replies. seungmin nods as well.

"okay, it's settled, then! we must go now, we have some other business to do today as well. come on, seungmin," the king says and seungmin leaves jeongin's side, walking over to his own father. seungmin's mother smiles at the other queen and jeongin, following her husband and son out of the throne room.

jeongin sighs loudly and takes a step forward. he can't wait to get to his own room. however, the queen has other plans. "jeongin. your attitude in front of seungmin's parents was terrible! how could you act like that in front of them?" she snaps, and jeongin faces her, frowning. "what did i do now?" he hisses defensively.

"frowning and sighing! aren't you excited about marrying seungmin? or uniting the kingdoms? you should stop being selfish and think about others for once!" the queen yells and gets up from her throne, aggressively gesturing with her hands.

jeongin can't believe what his mother just said. he closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, biting his tongue to keep himself calm. his head hurts and he's so, so tired. right now he won't handle his mother yelling at him. but then his mother opens her mouth again, and it triggers jeongin.

"are you serious, mother!? no, i don't want to marry seungmin, he's my best friend, i don't love him in that way, and he doesn't love me either! you're the one being selfish, you didn't even ask what i want! so don't you yell at me for being annoyed!" jeongin yells back, and this makes chan gasp loudly at the throne room entrance. the queen grits her teeth. "love isn't something you need in a marriage, marriages are meant for uniting the kingdoms and continuing the royal family. love is for the weak villagers. now go to your room and stay there until you learn how to behave."

jeongin feels tears in his eyes but he stays quiet, biting his lip as he spins around, running away from the throne room and his mother. he hears chan take a few steps towards him when he passes the guard, but the older changes his mind and stops, probably realizing he shouldn't follow him, especially with the queen watching.

jeongin runs through the hallways until he reaches his door. he comes to a halt, sniffling and taking a deep breath. right now he wants to get away from everyone. sooner or later, someone, probably chan or woojin, will come to his room to question him. he sniffles again, trying to think about a place where no one will find him for at least a few hours. he can't leave the castle because the guards at the gates will send him back to the castle or get a guard to go with jeongin to the village.

he bites his lip and lets his legs carry him through the halls again and down the stairs, straight into the dungeon. he doesn't know why, but right now the darkness of the dungeons feels inviting. comforting, even. the image of that one prisoner's eyes flashes in his mind again. 

the prisoners don't even look at him as he walks past them. the only thing lighting up the dark room are the torches attached to the walls.

he makes his way to the deepest depths of the prison, and before he knows it, he is face to face with a wide-eyed man. the look on his face screams guilt, and jeongin blinks.

the prisoner from yesterday.

is in front of him.

and he isn't in his cell.

they stare at each other with wide eyes, neither of them knowing how to handle the situation.

jeongin can tell the man didn't expect to get caught trying to escape, and neither did jeongin expect to walk in on a prisoner trying to escape.

but jeongin is still the first one to move.

he lifts his hand in panic and slaps the man across the face, on the exact same spot where felix punched him yesterday, making him yelp and stumble back in surprise, back into his cell. the prince watches as the man falls on his back to the cold ground. again, jeongin acts faster, the prisoner still too shocked, and slams the cell door back shut, locking it. 

they stare at each other in bewilderment, the man holding his cheek with his hand and propping himself up on his elbow. he is the first one to open his mouth. he huffs, clearly embarrassed that his plan to escape ended like this and wipes his bottom lip with his thumb, and jeongin stares at his every move in awe.

beautiful. 

"what are you doing here, little prince?" the man mutters, stumbling up and wiping the dust away from his pants and shirt. jeongin snaps back to reality and crosses his arms, gathering his thoughts. he gives the prisoner a challenging glare. "you don't ask the questions, i do. especially after that stunt you pulled. how did you get out?" he says, eyeing the prisoner.

the blonde man glares at him, but replies. "the guard that was with you yesterday dropped the keys in front of my cell. not very smart, is he? also you idiots didn't even have anyone checking this place, it's rather easy to get out of the cell. the only thing stopping me from leaving earlier was that i almost couldn't reach the keys" he says, his tone mocking. jeongin stares at him and decides to ignore the prisoner's insults. "give me the keys. you still have them," he says, extending his hand towards the man, through the bars.

the man frowns. "no i don't," he says quickly and jeongin raises his eyebrow. "either you give them to me and your stunt stays between us or you keep them and i tell the queen, and you will be hanged before sundown."

the prisoner stares at him with his mouth slightly open before a defeated sigh falls from his lips. he pushes his hand into his pocket and digs out the keys, handing them over to jeongin. "thank you," the prince smiles and puts the keys into his own pocket.

an awkward silence falls between them after that. they stare at each other, both of them trying to read the other's thoughts.

again, the prisoner speaks first. "have you been crying? i don't wanna be rude but-" he begins. jeongin is taken aback by the prisoner's question, but his response is quick. he lets out a sarcastic laugh, interrupting the other. "says the man who broke into a bakery and threatened an innocent baker. i'd say you're the definition of rude."

the man crosses his arms and narrows his eyes at the prince. "shut it. i had my reasons. and you're rude too, you interrupted me."

"ha ha," jeongin fake-laughs, "you're funny."

"oh you should have seen your face yesterday, prince," the prisoners snickers, and again, jeongin's cheeks heat up. "don't you laugh at me!" he squeals, and the man starts laughing even more. his laugh is so beautiful and adorable, that it brings a smile to jeongin's own lips.

is this beautiful, adorable man really a criminal? somehow the thought of that seems impossible. 

"don't blame me for laughing, it was hilarious. you really should have seen your face," he laughs, and jeongin starts giggling as well, completely forgetting that the other man is literally a prisoner.

after a while, the laughter dies down and they smile at each other. 

"...i'm hyunjin," the man suddenly says, and jeongin stares at him, eyes wide with surprise. then, he gives the other male a shy smile. "i'm jeongin."

hyunjin grins in return. "i know. i've seen you before," he says, walking over to the end of his cell and sitting down, his back against the stone wall. jeongin blinks, subconsciously following hyunjin's actions and sitting down in front of the metallic bars. "you have?"

the other chuckles. "yeah. it's like a damn parade when you come down to the village. you're a prince, after all. everyone knows you."

"oh," is jeongin's reply. he stares at hyunjin, taking in that lopsided smile and the softness of his face. the anger and frustration from yesterday is totally gone, and jeongin just doesn't understand why. he is literally held as a prisoner, because of jeongin's family. the curiosity gets the best of him. "why aren't you angry?"

hyunjin seems confused by the question, and he tilts his head. "why would i be?" he asks, and jeongin lifts his eyebrows. "have you forgotten that you're locked up in a cell because of me?"

at this, hyunjin smiles again, making jeongin's heart melt. "it was either being locked up or hanged, and thanks to you, it was the first option. i'm thankful. i wasn't prepared to die for stealing a couple of breads from a goddamn bakery."

"you're weird," jeongin comments, making sure it's clear he doesn't mean it in a rude way. hyunjin understands, giving jeongin a toothy grin in response. "i know."

"jeongin?"

jeongin and hyunjin both look up to see chan staring at then with wide eyes a few metres away. jeongin and hyunjin both quickly stand up. "chan? what is it?" the prince asks, trying to ignore the fact that chan caught him talking to a prisoner like they're old friends.

chan doesn't say anything, he just walks over to jeongin and grabs his arm, pulling him away. jeongin whimpers lightly and follows him, but not without giving hyunjin a last glance to see the latter staring after him with a worried frown.

"what on earth are you doing?" chan asks once they are out of the dungeon, brows almost knitted together. jeongin frowns and pulls himself out of chan's grip. "what do you mean?" the prince asks, hugging himself and chan huffs, gesturing with his hands. "talking to a prisoner? have you lost your mind? why were you there in the first place, your mother told you to go to your room!" chan exclaims.

"i don't care what my mother says, she never cares what i say anyway," jeongin snaps, "i didn't go to my room because i wanted some alone time! someone would have entered my room sooner or later," he mutters, and chan lifts his eyebrows. "and the dungeon is a place where you can have alone time?" he hisses.

jeongin starts walking away, but chan follows quickly. "start explaining! your mother will be furious if she finds out, you know how much she hates being disobeyed!"

"i don't know why i went to the dungeon, okay? but be glad i did, because the prisoner had gotten his hands on his cell keys and was escaping! besides, hyunjin's not that bad, he's kind!" he says, making chan stop in his tracks and repeat after him in dismay: "hyunjin? are you two like best friends now or what the heck? jeongin, he's a criminal! the only reason he would want to talk to you is because he knows you have a heart made of gold and he wants to trick you into helping him get out of there! he's using you!" chan rages, and jeongin takes a step back, his eyes wide. he has never seen chan this angry.

"shut up, you don't even know him." 

"and i suppose that you do, after a few minutes of talking to him?" 

"you know what, forget it," jeongin sniffles, feeling tears gather up in his eyes. he storms away, leaving chan standing there in the hallway. he enters his room and slams the door shut, hoping nobody will come to his room for the whole day. he doesn't want to talk to anyone right now.

he takes a deep breaths and wipes his tears, walking over to his bed and sitting down, chan's words running through his mind. _what if he's right? what if hyunjin is trying to use him?_

he has never met anyone outside of their castle that jeongin would consider befriending, so for some reason, thinking that hyunjin is just using him. makes him feel awful. he quickly shakes away the thoughts. he doesn't have to worry, he isn't going to let hyunjin escape. why would he? he's still a criminal and dangerous.

another thought quickly replaces his mind, and he feels guilt and worry build up. _what if chan tells his mother?_ hyunjin would be hanged in a second if the queen found out that hyunjin tried escape. he closes his eyes and lays down on the bed. it's early in the morning and he has some things left to do today, but right now his eyes feel way too heavy. he sighs and wipes his cheeks with the sleeve of his shirt, hiding his face into his pillow.

♚

it's nighttime when jeongin wakes up. he stares at the ceiling for a moment before sitting up, rubbing his face. his room is almost completely dark, the only source of light being the oil lamp on his desk. he blinks, staring at it. he doesn't remember lighting it up. he gets up and stumbles towards it, still half asleep. he takes the lamp and heads out of his room, slowly opening to door. the whole castle is dark and quiet. he hums quietly and tiptoes to the kitchen, thinking nobody is awake.

so of course, he yelps loudly and nearly drops the lamp when he comes face to face with chan in the kitchen. he takes a deep breath and puts his hand on his chest, making chan chuckle. "am i that scary?" the guard asks, and jeongin sighs. "you are when it's literally in the middle of the night and you are not supposed to be in the kitchen," the prince mumbles, walking over to the counter and sitting down on a chair, facing chan.

chan smiles and they stare at each other in silence, trying to read each other's minds. chan speaks first, reaching across the counter to place his hand on jeongin's. "look, jeongin... i'm sorry i yelled at you. it was stupid of me, especially after the fight you had with your mother. i should have been there to comfort you instead of making you feel even worse," the guard says softly, avoiding jeongin's gaze.

the prince feels his heart split in two at the guilt on chan's face. he sighs softly and takes chan's hand into his own, giving it a squeeze and smiling at the guard reassuringly. "no, chan, you did nothing wrong. you were just worried, that's all. i shouldn't have gotten mad at you either."

chan smiles slightly, bringing jeongin's hand to his lips and placing a tender kiss to each one of his knuckles, making jeongin's cheeks turn bright red. he's grateful the only light in the room are the two oil lamps and chan can't see the way his cheeks are flushing. "you're too kind for your own good, jeongin," the guard whispers quietly, and jeongin smiles mischievously in return. "remember the time we put a frog on woojin's pillow at night to freak him out?"

chan bursts out laughing at this. "good point." 

they sit there in the dark, smiling at each other and holding each other's hands. it's comfortable and relaxing, to finally have someone to talk to, with no worries. "you know," chan says softly, his grip on jeongin's hands tightening. "there's nothing i wouldn't do for you."

jeongin closes his eyes and sighs. "chan-"

"i know, i know," the guard sighs as well, lowering his eyes to their locked hands, fingers tangled. "it can't happen, i know. i just want you to know that it's how i feel."

"i know, channie," the prince breathes out softly, and in silence they sit, wrapped up in the darkness and the cold walls of the castle, until the first rays of sun light up the village.


End file.
